Across the Distance
by LoveandLearn
Summary: Derek and Addison run into one another after the divorce and a long-distance relationship is born (complete with all the complications that come with it). Decided to extend this into a mini 3 chaptered story instead of a two-shot. Part 3 coming soon :)
1. Chapter 1

"Addison." Derek called out, caught completely off guard with the woman in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

It had been a year since their divorce. Addison had left Seattle immediately after the papers were signed. She moved to Los Angeles and joined a practice with friends from med school. Derek had not seen or spoken to her since then.

"I uh..." she was flustered, obviously not expecting to see him. "It's just been a stressful few weeks at the practice and the hospital and I needed a few days off to relax." she explained. Choosing to go to "the place with the bed and the sheets" seemed like the best idea she had ever had. At least it was until she ran into her ex-husband. "What are you doing here?"

"I loved this place, I've been looking for an excuse to come back so I figured I'd bring Meredith."

"Oh, Meredith is here?" Great, my ex-husband and his mistress.

Derek shook his head. "We broke up three weeks ago but they didn't let me cancel my reservation and I needed to get away so it seemed like a good idea to come without her."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Addison offered.

Derek shrugged. "It was a long time coming." he replied. "How are things going with you? How is LA?"

"It's good but there is a lot to do and no enough time to do it. I just needed a weekend away." Addison replied with a smile. "Look, this weekend won't be awkward, I promise. I have no plans to leave my room. Just gonna stay in the amazingly comfortable bed in those unrealistically soft, warm sheets, order their mind blowing room service and watch shitty TV with the fireplace no. You'll never see me."

Derek laughed. "I was just about to tell you the same thing. I mostly came for the same reason. It's not like there is anything to do here anyway."

"Next guest." The woman at the check-in counter called. Addison turned to realize that that was her.

She turned back to Derek and smiled at him. "Have a good weekend." she said before stepping up to the counter to check-in.

* * *

Addison was still in bed the last night of her trip, curled up with a book she'd been meaning to read for months. She was interrupted by a knock on the door and got up thinking it was room service. Instead she saw Derek standing behind her door with a bag of take-out.

"You remember that restaurant we went to the one time we got out of bed during our trip here?" Derek asked.

"The place with the really good filet mignon?" Addison asked. "Of course I remember."

"Well I was just there picking up food and I remembered how much you loved that steak so I got it for you. Medium-rare, substituted the baked potato for mashed potatoes, just like you like." he said as he retrieved the plastic container from the brown paper bag and held it out to her.

"You really didn't have to do that, Derek." Addison murmured as she took the container from him. "Thank you."

"No problem." he said with a smile. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

"You could come in, if you want. We could have dinner together." Addison suggested. "Or not...It's completely fine. Whatever you want."

Derek considered it for a minute before choosing to step into the room. He set the food down on the table and sat across from Addison. They quickly got comfortable with one another and after dinner came the room service ordered tiramisu in bed, just as they had done during their last trip to the five star, waterfront hotel.

"I just realized I'm in bed with my ex-wife." Derek murmured as he took his last bite of the dessert. They had avoided discussing their divorce, or the troubled years of their marriage to make it less awkward. Derek's mention of "ex-wife" was the first time the topic had come up.

The guilt quickly washed over Addison. She put the half eaten dessert on the nightstand and got out of bed. "Oh, my god. I'm so sorry." she told him as she paced back and forth with her hand covering her face in shame. "I should never have suggested dessert in bed. I shouldn't have forced you to have dinner with me. I was supposed to stay out of your hair. I got too comfortable too quickly, we were talking about told time and I crossed a line."

Derek's brows furrowed together as he watched Addison all but break-down in front of him.

"We're divorced, that means you're not obligated to do any of this with me anymore." she continued.

"Woah, woah, Addison..." Derek started, pulling her hands away from her face. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course I did."

"I did not do this out of obligation, I did not do this because I felt like you were forcing me. I miss your company and contrary to what you think, I had a great time tonight." he told her honestly. "In fact, I was going to ask if you'd like to have breakfast together tomorrow after check-out. Maybe we can even go to the airport together if the flight times match up."

"Really?" Addison asked doubtfully.

"Really." Derek promised. "Don't feel bad. I don't regret anything about tonight. I had a great time with you and I would really love it if I could see you again before we leave. Would you be up to that?"

Addison nodded. "Yeah."

Derek smiled. "Okay, check-out is at 11:30 and if I know you, you'll still be in bed until 11 and you'll call to get an extended check-out. So we'll meet in the lobby around 12 and figure it out from there. Sound good?"

The next morning they met up and after breakfast (or lunch, rather, because of the time) they shared a car to the airport and killed time at an airport bar before their flights boarded. Addison's flight was scheduled 45 minutes before Derek's so he walked her over to her gate. He moved in to hug her goodbye but that soon became a tender kiss on the lips. When he pulled away he noticed Addison's blushed cheeks.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Can I call you after we get back home?"

"Derek, what's going on here? What are we doing? We weren't supposed even see one another this weekend and now you want to get together again?"

"I don't know, it just feels right." he explained with a shrug.

"Derek..." Addison sighed. "We can't do this. It's just old feelings that are gone. It's instinct, just like it was for me last night. You don't want to be with me anymore."

"I strongly disagree." he replied. "Maybe this was fate, seeing you here like this after a break-up. I haven't been this happy and relaxed since our divorce. I miss being around you."

"That doesn't mean that we should be in a relationship. We've been acting like we are since last night and I think that confused you."

"It didn't." he said surely. "Please don't just shoot it down. Give it a chance. We've had some time apart to forgive and forget and that could be exactly what we needed."

"We live in different states."

"So? This won't be the first long distance relationship. We can make it work. And we don't have to worry about details right now because you have to get on that plane and go home. Just promise to answer when I call you. Or at least promise to call me back if you can't answer."

They heard an announce make the final boarding call from the ticket station. Addison glanced at Derek in silence for a few seconds before finally nodding her head. "I promise."

* * *

"Addison's been on the phone for the last hour and a half." Violet noted as she walked into the kitchen during the lunch break at the practice. "Anyone know who she's talking to?"

"Maybe it's a business call." Sam suggested. "She could have been on hold for a while."

"On hold? With that lovesick smile on her face?" Cooper replied. "I somehow highly doubt that, Sam."

"Maybe she's talking to her boyfriend." Pete suggested. "That would explain the why she's been on the phone during her every lunch break since she got back from wherever it was. It would explain the lovesick smile she's got right around lunch time. It would explain why she goes straight home after work instead of coming out with us..."

"You think she's got a boyfriend we don't know about?" Naomi asked, trying not to scoff and laugh at the idea. "We are best friends. I know everything she does. Everything. I would know if she was dating someone she met while she was on vacation. She said she didn't even leave her hotel room during her trip. She went for the bed, the sheets and the room service. I don't really know understand that but I'd expect it from Addison. Montgomeries would spend money to fly first class to another state to stay in bed in great sheets."

"Everyone look natural, here she comes." Cooper warned, gliding into a seat to look busy with his meal.

Addison walked in and when right for the fridge to grab her favorite green juice. She turned back to see everyone staring at her.

"Ditching us during lunch again, Montgomery?" Pete asked playfully.

"I've got someone on hold in my office. Can't stay."

"That's what you said yesterday." Pete told her.

"And the three days before that." Cooper mumbled. "And a few days last week."

Addison chuckled, trying to be as discreet as possible. "Sorry guys, I've just got a lot going on lately. Oh, and speaking of which, I won't be able to come in Saturday this week. I'm gonna leave Friday around 4 and I won't be able to come in again until Monday morning. I already moved around my patients and told Charlotte to take my name off the call list but I just wanted to let you guys know too."

"Oh come on, Addison..." Violet pleaded. "You're getting laid, just tell us who the lucky guy is."

"I haven't gotten laid yet." Addison replied truthfully.

"Yet?! That means there is a guy that you didn't tell me about!" Naomi exclaimed. "You go hang up that phone and come here and tell me everything."

Addison gave them all a teasing smile. "Maybe later." she replied before leaving the kitchen.

"Can't we just figure out what line she's on and listen in?" Naomi suggested.

Violet shook her head. "I thought of that. She's on her cell phone. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Addison walked into her office after an appointment. She immediately pulled out her cell phone from the drawer in her desk. She saw a missed call from Derek and a voicemail. A small smile grew on her face as she listened to the message which informed her that he was boarding his flight to Los Angeles. Although he had told Addison a dozen times, he mentioned yet again that he hired a chauffeur to pick him up at the airport and drop him off at her house.

"I know you had an appointment that you couldn't cancel, and you're probably with a patient right now, but don't worry, I remember where you said you hide your spare. Take your time at the practice and I'll hopefully be there when you get home." The smile on Addison's face drew larger.

Two and a half hours, two patients and one delivery later, Addison eagerly took off from work with brief explanation to her coworkers. She saw Derek's small suitcase by the door when she walked in and was instantly met with Derek when she stepped passed the foyer.

"You're really here." she murmured after a full two minutes in his arms.

"I told you I would be. I told you I'm serious about making this work." he said with a chuckle. "Did you successfully slip away from the crew or are they still on to you?"

"They are still on to us. I wouldn't be surprised if they all set up camp at Sam's house to try to catch a glimpse into here to see who I'm with. I wouldn't be surprised if they take shifts so we don't go unmonitored at any time of the day."

"Are they really that nosey?"

Addison smiled. "They sure are."

"Well they are never going to figure it out because we are going to spend this whole weekend in the bedroom doing things that I've been dreaming about for the past two weeks."

"You think we're having sex?" Addison asked, laughing at the fact that he honestly believed it would happen.

"We had phone sex..."

"It's not the same." Addison insisted. "We can spent the whole weekend in the sack when I come to Seattle in two weeks. Its just that this is our first time actually together since we decided to get back together. I don't want to go right to sex."

Derek nodded understandingly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking Disneyland tomorrow, Sunday we can sleep in, maybe stop by the practice so everyone can finally see who the lucky man is. Then we'll come home and I'll help you get packed, we can have a short moonlit walk on the beach and I'll take you to the airport."

"You sound like you've been planning that for a while."

Addison gave him a guilty smile. "I have been wanting to go to Disneyland and I've never had a reason. You're going to be my reason."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Derek approved. "Wait, you guys work on Sundays?"

"Not technically, I mean, we're not seeing patients. But we all usually go in to finish the mountains of paperwork that we don't do throughout the week."

"Well you have to learn to finish yours throughout the week because you're all mine over the weekends...Well, for now you're mine two weekends out of the month but hopefully we can make it every weekend if work allows."

* * *

"Get naked now, Shepherd. It's been a long time." Addison said loudly as soon as she and Derek walked into the trailer after he picked her up from the airport. She froze when she saw the champagne over ice and a table set for two.

"I thought we'd have dinner first. I made your favorite and left it in the oven so it stays warm."

"My favorite?" Addison questioned. "I've been eating take-out for a very long time. I don't really remember what my favorite homemade meal is."

"My famous mac and cheese, from scratch, mind you, not from a box. Even made my own pasta for you last night. That's how special you are."

Addison opened the oven and a smile appeared on her face when she saw the golden brown bread crumb coating of the mac and cheese, her favorite part. "You put extra bread crumbs on it..." she trailed off.

"I did."

She turned back to him and bridged the gap between them. "Sex now, food later."

After an hour in bed and another forty minutes in the small shower, Derek and Addison finally made it to dinner. Addison tied her damp hair into a bun and pulled one of Derek's oversized t-shirts on before sitting at the table and eagerly awaiting her mac and cheese. Making conversation over dinner was easy and not nearly as awkward as it had been while they were married and Addison was grateful for that.

"Do you think we'll have a chance at make our dream come true this time around?" Derek asked her that night in bed while they were cuddle together, her head on his chest as she traces light circles on his stomach with the tip of her index finger.

"What dreams?"

"Do you think we'll make it to the end this time?" Derek reworded. "Finally have kids?"

Addison froze, pulling away from him to retreat to her side of the bed and turn her back to him.

"Addie?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to move too fast or scare you or anything." After getting no response, he moved closer to her and pulled her back a little to hold her against his chest. "I'm sorry."

"I should be the one who is sorry." Addison finally spoke up. "I've got 2 fertile eggs left, might as well have no eggs left. There are a whole shitton in there and only two are qualified to conceive a you know how difficult that makes it to get pregnant? It's not like I'll ever know when those eggs specifically are ovulating. And my FSH is through the roof..."

"You had fertility tests done?"

"I wanted to have a baby when I went to LA. I wanted to move on with my life and a baby was the next maybe this is for the best, I'd be horrible mother. I'd be Bizzy 2.0."

"No you wouldn't. You would be an amazing mom, you more maternal than your mother could ever be. And you don't have to carry a child and give birth to it for it to be yours. We could look into adoption, donor eggs, surrogacy...If you want a baby we can still have a baby." Derek told her reassuringly.

"But you want a baby that's a part of you, that you created and I carried."

"That's how I always thought it would happen but like doesn't always go as planned. I don't care how the child gets here, I'm happy as long as we raise him or her together."

"You mean that?" she asked unsurely. "You're sure that this won't just be a problem later on?"

"I'm positive." Derek reaffirmed, pressing a kiss to her temple.

* * *

The couple went back and forth between Seattle and Los Angeles for almost 3 months without interruptions. But the streak was ruined during what was supposed to be their 11th weekend together. Addison was getting ready to leave the practice when she got a call from Derek. He was supposed to be waiting for her at her house, as always.

"I'm coming, I'm leaving right now." she said as soon as he answered.

"Honey, I'm sorry, I just got out of surgery."

"You missed your flight?" Addison asked in disbelief. A part of her thought he was lying to her, that she'd get home to find him naked in her bed.

"VIP patient, Richard forced me. I was going to call you sooner but there was one complication after another." he explained. "I have to stay and monitor him overnight and Richard wants me to come in tomorrow to check on over the next few days."

"Oh..." she trailed off.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I will make it up to you, I promise. I'll try to get a couple extra days off to stay longer the next time I come."

"It's okay." Addison told him reassuringly. "Things come up. I know you didn't plan it to be like this."

"I didn't. My suitcase was packed and sitting by the door, I was going to stop by to change and grab it and leave." he insisted. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." she repeated. "Derek, Dell says I've got a patient who wants to talk to me in lobby. I've got to go." she lied to excuse herself. After ending the call, Addison went home and emptied half a bottle of wine before crying herself to sleep. She didn't get out of bed that whole weekend but pretended to be fine every time he called.

Derek flew out the following weekend to make it up to her.

She flew out to Seattle two weeks later, the rain never stopped so they stayed at her hotel the whole weekend. They watched romantic movies in bed with hot cocoa or coffee, or they snuggled to keep on another warm.

"Maybe you should come out to Seattle more often. It's never this cold in LA, we don't have to snuggle like this in that heat." Derek joked.

"I hate Seattle and you know it. You're just lucky I like you enough to ignore that and come to see you anyway." Addison shot-back light heartedly. "I even stayed in your trailer that first weekend I came to visit. If that's not love then I don't know what is."

"You're right, you're one of a kind." Derek murmured and pulled her against his chest to continue spooning her. "I was hoping we could go on a ferry ride this weekend but it's going to rain the whole time, every single minute. We may have to save that for next time."

"See, in LA we don't have this problem. We always know when it's going to rain so we can plan accordingly. Only once in a million years will rain actually prevent you from doing something. So maybe you should come to LA more often."

"It is something we'll have to talk about at some point. We can't keep going back and forth forever. We should sit down and weigh the pros and cons of both cities to figure out who's moving. Or maybe we can consider going back to New York or somewhere completely new."

"Woah, what?" Addison asked, pulling out of his arms at the completely unexpected change in topic. "We're talking about moving?"

"We don't have to do it right now but it is something that's going to happen somewhere down the line, isn't it? You're not planning on going back and forth every two weeks, are you?"

"I don't want to think that far ahead. That was out problem last time, we planned and planned and never worked on the present. We'll take it as it come, okay?" she sounded cool and collected but she was freaking out on the inside. She would not move back to Seattle for him, not again.

* * *

A month later Derek got a call the morning of Addison arrival in Seattle. "Addie? Headed to the airport already?" he asked.

"I delivered a 31 week premie last night. I can't leave the hospital, he's touch and go. I didn't want to call you too early because I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry." she apologized.

"What's wrong with the baby?"

"The mother came into the ER too late so I couldn't administer steroids to aid lung development so he's got RDS, he's on a vent."

"Aw, poor little guy. Is he going to be okay? Do you think he'll make it?"

"I don't know." she whispered honestly. He knew she rarely gave up on patients, she always had hope that she'd be able to pull of a miracle. To hear her so unsure of herself told him that this really was a difficult case. "I'm sorry, Derek."

"Hey, it's fine. It happens. Besides, that little guy really needs you. He's lucky to be in such great hands."

"You're kissing ass. What did you do? Did you call my mother and tell her we're back together or something equally horrible that will earn me a two hour lecture from someone?"

"Mandatory disaster preparedness seminar at the hospital the weekend I'm supposed to come. My request for time off was not granted. I have to to attend the seminar."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry."

"I can't come this week, we're both working next weekend and you can't come the week after. That's a really long time..."

"We'll get by, we always do." Derek told her, hoping that silver lining would be enough.

"Dr. Montgomery, Baby Hanson's stats are falling." a voice in the background called for her.

"I'll be right there." Addison responded to the nurse. "I have to go Derek, his stats are falling." she said, hanging up before he could say anything else.

* * *

"I can't do this." Derek confided in Mark. "I miss her all the time. Every other weekend with her is not enough."

"So make it every weekend." Mark suggested with a shrug, as if that option was supposed to be obvious to him.

"We can barely manage every other weekend. We both work, she's got a practice to manage, patients, she's contracted with a hospital, sees patients there too. I'm here running a department, it's not easy to get time off that often."

"Okay, then what's the point of this conversation. That's the only solution and it's not possible."

"That's not the only solution. There is one more solution."

"And what would that be?"

"I could quit and move to LA to be with her."

Mark stared blankly at Derek. "Quit and move? I moved to Seattle for you. You can't quit and move to LA!" he exclaimed.

"You could move too. I'm sure the practice would love to add a plastic surgeon. You could set your own hours and make double what you're making here. Plus it's much warmer in LA so people wear much less, and the practice is a block away from the beach so you'll be seeing lots of skin."

"Derek, I'm contracted here for another year. I can't leave."

"My contract ends next month." Derek told his former (and secretly current) best friend. "I'm just planning to not renew. I met with the chief of staff at the hospital Addison's practice is affiliated with and signed a contract., I can do my surgeries there and see patients at the practice. I'll be with Addie more, work less. It could be great."

"Have you discussed this with Addison?" Mark asked.

Derek shook his head. "I'm going to surprise her the next time I go out there."

* * *

By some miracle, Derek was able to get the next weekend off. He showed up at St. Ambrose where he knew Addison was on call and she looked less than pleased to see him. Something he was completely not used to. "Hey, honey." he greeted her with a smile and leaned closer to kiss her cheek, wanting to keep his level of PDA appropriate for a busy hospital.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, barely responding to his affectionate gesture. She went back to filling the chart of a patient she had just finished with.

"I managed to get this weekend off. I bargained with Richard to give it to me since I'm forced into the seminar next weekend."

"And you couldn't call to clear this with me?"

"You didn't answer your phone so I decided to surprise you...I now realize you did not want to be surprised."

"I'm working a 24 shift here today, I finish at 5 am. I'm was planning on sleeping until 10 because I have patients lined up at the practice from 12 to 7. I have absolutely no time this weekend. You wasted your vacation days and your time and money to sit around and wait all day while I'm at work."

"I'll find something to do. I can go sightseeing or hang out at the practice while you're there, keep you company between patients."

"Derek..." Addison trailed off disapprovingly.

"Fine, you want me to go back to Seattle? I will. Just say the words and I'm gone. We can just stick to our schedule, no surprises. But I do need to talk to you before I leave. We have something to discuss."

"I have something to talk to you about too." she murmured, looking down at the ground before looking up to meet his eyes.

"Okay, you go first. We might not be able to focus after my announcement."

There was a few silent seconds before Addison worked up the courage to say, "Derek, I can't do this anymore."

Derek looked at her with no clear expression on his face. "Please tell me you're talking about this conversation, or this shift, or a case." he murmured after a few moments of silence.

"I'm talking about us, this relationship. We tried, it's just not working. I can't do this to myself anymore." she told him honestly. "I've been meaning to tell you for a few days, I've been thinking about it a lot but I wanted to do it in person. It seemed wrong to do it over the phone. This is starting to fall apart, Derek, and it's better to end it sooner rather than later."

"Falling apart?"

"You cancelled on me last month, I cancelled on your last week, you cancelled next week."

"But I came this week."

"Yes, with no warning, no consideration about how that will work out for me. It was a good run, we had 5 months together and I'm grateful for that but it's just starting to come apart and I can't handle that physically or emotionally."

"You're breaking up with me." It wasn't really a question. He just had to say it to hear the words coming out of his mouth.

Addison nodded with nothing else to say. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Nothing, nevermind. It doesn't really matter anymore." Maybe he could get Charlette to void his contract and he could stay at Seattle Grace.

"Okay." She had never seen him look so hurt, not even when he walked in on her with his best friend. It hurt her to know she caused it but she was also relieved that the wild chase would finally be over. "I have to go scrub in, I've got surgery in a few minutes. Have a safe flight home." she finally brought herself to say before vanishing down the hall before the had time to react.

* * *

A/N: Hey, everyone! I have been trying very hard to come up with a new story since I posted the last chapter of "Forgotten." Sadly, I still can't come up with a good, original chaptered story so I'm trying to think up shorter things for now. I've got three or four one-shots in the works...but I'm stuck on the ending for every single one them. So the fact that I've gotten through this makes me really happy and I'm excited to share it with you. It is not a full blown chaptered story but it's not a one-shot either. It's a two-shot and part two is over half done (and I have a vision for the ending so I won't get stuck!) It should be up within a week at most

Anyway, hope you guys like Part 1 of this story. Let me know if I missed any typos, please. Be sure to leave a review with your thoughts and suggestions. I really appreciate it! Thanks :)


	2. Chapter 2

The first few weeks after the break-up was the hardest for Derek. He missed her more than he thought possible. Every other weekend he fully expected to get a call or texts from her telling him she's waiting at the Archfield or asking him when his flight gets in. Those calls and texts never came and she never answered his calls or texts just to check in on her. Derek ended up doing the only thing he could think of, he flew out to Los Angeles to see her.

"Derek." Dell exclaimed in surprise when he saw Derek walking out of the elevator.

"Hey, Dell."

"I didn't think you'd keep coming out here after the breakup." he murmured awkwardly. Honestly, he had orders to keep Derek out of the practice whether or not Addison was there. They wanted to do everything they could to protect her because the idea of her arriving at work to see Derek scared all of them.

Derek shrugged. "What can I say? Addison's not the kind of woman you give up without putting up a fight? I learned that the hard way. Is she here? Because she didn't open the door, I don't think anyone was home to begin with. She changed her spare key hiding spot so I couldn't go in and check. She wasn't at the hospital. She has to be here."

"She's not here." Dell regretfully informed her.

"She's not?" Derek asked in disbelief. "But if she's not here then where would she be?"

"She took the weekend off with Naomi and Violet. They went down to Cabo for 'fruity drinks, massages and time in the sand .' Those are their words, not mine."

"Cabo?" Derek signed. If he had his passport with him he would chase her to Cabo in a heartbeat.

"Yeah, the break up has been hard on her. They figured this might help."

"If it's been hard then why did she break up with me?" Derek asked himself out loud and got a confused look from Dell, who obviously had no answer for his question. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

Dell cautiously nodded. "I guess. Depends on what it is, really."

"Keep me updated on how Addie's doing. She won't answer my calls, texts, emails, facebook messages, nothing. If things get worse then I want to know."

"Okay." Dell promised. "But if she catches me and fires me then you are responsible for finding me a new job."

Derek stuck his hand out to shake Dell's. "Deal."

* * *

"Addison, you just spend three days in Cabo. Very good looking shirtless men rubbed you all over with fancy smelling oils and lotions in a cabana on the beach. You really have no reason not to be smiling." Naomi said, walking into Addison's office between patients the Tuesday after their trip.

"My patient died." Addison murmured from her slumped position on her couch, her four and a half inch pump clad feet propped up on the coffee table with complete disregard toward etiquette.

"What patient?"

"27 years old, cervical cancer. She came in too late, she had stage four by the time she got to me and she didn't want to do chemo after how she felt with the first round, didn't want surgery. She basically let herself die."

"I'm sorry, Addie." Naomi replied honestly. "But it's not your fault."

"All I did was numb her." Addison murmured, "I ordered morphine and sat back and watched her get so high on it that she didn't even realize anything was wrong. She slept through the whole thing."

"You did that because that is what she wanted."

"And she was alone. The whole time. Never told her parents, no kids, no spouse or boyfriend. She was alone to the bitter end." Addison murmured, wiping a tear off of her cheek. "Can you imagine dying a slow painful death alone?"

Naomi sighed, realizing this was the beginning of another one of their long, meaningful talks. "A. You're not dying, last I checked, that is. B. You are not alone."

Addison scoffed. "Who would give two fucks if I died?"

"I would give much more than 'two fucks,' as you so eloquently put it. So would Sam, Voilet, Cooper, Pete and Dell. And probably Charolette even though she'd never admit it in a million years."

"You and Sam, maybe. But this practice? Not so much, They would only care because I'm an equal shareholder and I'm in charge. My friendship with them is based on this practice. Without it none of them would ever bother with me ever again."

"I highly doubt that, Addison." Naomi assured. "You know who else would care? Derek. He'd be devastated and he would not leave your side for a second, whether you wanted him there or not."

"We broke up."

"Exactly, Addison! You chose this, you keep pushing everyone away, including him. You want to seem strong and together but you need someone. Stop pushing him away."

"It wasn't working anymore. You know that."

"No, it was working. I think you were just afraid because things were going too well. You knew he loves you more than anything in life and you were in love too, more than ever before and that scared you shitless. Those are high stakes to fall from and you didn't want to risk it so you quit while you were ahead and now you're miserable."

"Since when are you qualified to psychoanalyze me?"

Naomi shrugged. "Wasn't useful to you as a fertility specialist, figured psychotherapy would be my next best bet." she teased lightly but could tell Addison was not amused by the comment. "Sorry, too soon."

"That was part of it too." Addison admitted. "Derek wants kids, he always has. He wants kids that we made together out of love, not in a petri dish in a lab. He wants a child that I carried, he wants to witness that child being brought into the world. I can't give him any of that."

"Addison, he just wants you. The rest doesn't matter to him."

"I was afraid to let him to get too close, I couldn't have him become a part of me again because I can't let him break my heart again. I had to end it before he could."

Naomi sympathetically met her best friend's eyes. "I know this is hard for you. I know that your marriage did not end well. You left broken hearted and it took a lot to even begin to move on. I'm sure getting back together was not easy for you."

"I've been terrified deep down inside this whole time." Addison admitted. "It's easy to ignore it when he paid so much attention and constantly showered me with love. Once distractions came up I noticed the pattern and I had to stop it before it got any worse."

"Either way, I'm proud of you for taking the risk with him. It wasn't easy but you did it, you listened to your heart. I'm just asking that you do the same when it comes to this split. If you're head is telling you to run but you are still in love and you want to be with him then you have to fight to get everything back on track. He moved here, that's a big step. That makes things much easier."

"No, it really doesn't. We were living together in the same house, we supposedly shared a room when distractions came up in New York. He stopped coming home to me, he stopped coming to me now. If doesn't matter the distance, Naomi, it's whether or not he'll cross the distance."

* * *

Despite his best efforts, Derek was unable to void his contract with St. Ambrose after his break-up with Addison. Charlotte refused to terminate the contract and Derek's lawyer could not find any loophole to get him out of his obligation. He had no choice but to move to LA, take residence in a hotel next the hospital and go to work everyday doing his absolute best to avoid her at all costs.

One his third day at worked he was paged to the NICU and he knew that could not be a good sign. That fear was confirmed when he stepped in to see her standing by an incubator in a protective gown to cover her clothing. She turned when he door opened and he jaw all but dropped when she saw him standing there in scrubs and a lab coat.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed between her teeth, leaving her infant patient and his parents to push him into the hall where they could keep their personal lives separated from their patient. "You work here now?!"

"Yes." he answered briefly.

"It would have been great if you mentioned that, you know? Why would you take a job here? Is it to torture me?"

"I took the job before we broke up. That's what I was going to tell you the day you dumped me." he told her honestly. "I tried to back out of the contract but I couldn't so I had no choice but to come out here and take the job. My original intention was not to torture, I thought it would be best for our relationship and after the break-up I tried to fix it. So, no, this was not done to torture you."

"What the hell is going on over here?" Charlotte demanded.

"You hired my ex-husband?!" Addison asked. "You're supposed to be my friend and that means you don't hire my ex-husband to work with me!"

"He was your boyfriend when I hired him." Charlotte replied curtly. "And keep your personal life out of this hospital. What happened happened, you both of careers to carry on and you can do whatever the hell you need to move on personally."

Addison glared in Derek's direction before walking away from them and back into the NICU.

"I told you you should let me out of the contract." Derek mumbled.

"Shepherd, you've been here for three days and you've already made this hospital more money than neuro would make in the average week. I made a great decision."

* * *

"He moved here!" Addison fumed in the kitchen of the practice during their lunch break. "HE MOVED HERE!"

"Yeah, we heard you without the screaming." Sam told her.

"Why would he do that?"

"You just said he signed the contract while you were together." Pete told her reasonably. "Look, the guy was in love with you and he wanted to be closer to you but things didn't work out. You can't get mad at him for doing something that was right at the time."

Addison scoffed, dropping her fork in her salad and grabbing her water bottle and the plastic container as she got up from her seat. "You were absolutely no help." she murmured as she walked away to finish her lunch alone in her office.

"She's had that stick jammed up her ass since she dumped him." Violet observed. "She's miserable without him and yet she doesn't want to be with him away."

"She's afraid to be with him again." Naomi confided. "He broke her heart last time. And not just once, but repeatedly. He stopped putting time and effort into their marriage, she cheated, he left her, he cheated, he made her move to Seattle, claimed to forgive her but did everything he could to make her miserable, then he gave her hope and made her think they might be okay and that same night be cheated on her. She can't trust him again. At least that's what I think."

"That makes sense." Violet murmured. "Should I go talk to her?"

"No, I think she needs to figure this out on her own. We can't tell her how to feel about him and what to do about those feelings."

"Oh, shit, Derek just walked in." Cooper announced, sitting back in his seat. He took a bite out of his apple with an amused look on his face. "I love working here." he said with a full mouth. "It's like a real life soap opera."

* * *

"Leave, Derek." Addison said as soon as he walked into her office without even bothering to knock on the door beforehand.

"No, you're going to listen to me whether you like it or not."

"If you don't leave willingly then I'll call security and have you removed from the building."

"Addison, just hear me out." he begged. "I just need a few minutes just to clear the air so it won't be awkward between us at work."

"Fine." Addison sighed. "I'm listening."

"I accepted the job at St. Ambrose while we were together. I couldn't stand seeing you every two weeks, it wasn't enough. So I decided against renewing my contract with Seattle Grace to move out here to be with you. That's what I was going to tell you that day. I really didn't come out here to make this hard for you, I did it for us...back when there was an 'us.' I really did not see it ending this way but it did I don't know what to do now."

"Why would you sign a contract to move out here without telling me?"

"I wanted to surprise you! I thought you'd be happy. You never said anything but I know the long distance thing was really hard for you. I know you were miserable when our plans got canceled and I know it was hard. I wanted to fix all of that and this was the only way I could do that. I was the man in the relationship and that meant doing what it took to keep my girlfriend happy."

"And you haven't had time since the break up to mention any of this to me?"

"I've tried calling your phone and the office, you never called me back. I text, I emailed. What else was I supposed to do?"

Addison quietly stared down at the salad on her desk in front of her. "Derek, I need you to know that it wasn't easy to end our relationship. I thought about it for a very long time before I reached that decision. It was the best for both of us and I know you might not get that now but you will later."

"You don't have to explain your decision to me. You did what you thought was best for yourself." Derek replied. "But I am grateful for the second chance I had with you. It was great while it lasted, at least it was for me. It probably wasn't that great for you, considering you were unhappy enough to end it." he quickly stopped himself before he could say anything else he would regret. "I just wanted to apologize for all of this and explain why I'm here. I promise to stay away from your house and your practice. If you give me a list of your usual hang-out spots, I'll stay away from all of those too. You'll only see me at the hospital and even then I won't talk to you unless we have a patient together. It will be completely professional from now on."

Addison looked up from her salad and slowly nodded her head.

"Great." Derek forced a smile on his face. "Goodbye, Dr. Montgomery." he said before promptly leaving her office and subsequently, her practice.

Addison felt the tears building up and she quickly got out of her seat to shut the blinds so her co-workers would not be able to witness her moment of weakness.

* * *

"He left." Cooper said, his eyes following Derek to the elevator. He quickly turned back to catch a glimpse into Addison's office. "And she's crying...Oh, no, Addison don't close the blinds! She closed the blinds." he turned to the group in disappointment.

"She was crying? Are you sure? Addison was taught never to cry in public." Naomi asked.

"She was definitely crying, but now the blinds are closed so it's not really in public and even when they were open she was in the privacy of her own office."

"I'm not sure we can call it private, considering you snooped the whole time." Sam muttered.

"Should one of us go talk to her?" Cooper asked. "Should we clear her schedule so she can go home or something? Have you guys seen 'What Happens in Vegas?' Should we go to Derek's house and punch him in the balls and when he says 'Why?' then we'll be like 'You know why!' Watch it, good stuff."

"Cooper! Be serious here." Violet exclaimed.

"I was being totally serious. It could be fun."

"No, she'd hate that we're even here thinking about her. She is the type of person that wants to deal with everything on her own. She wouldn't want us getting involved and clearing her schedule...or punching her ex in the nuts. She'll want to pretend that nothing happened and I think that's the least we can do to help her through this." Sam responded.

* * *

Four months went by without incident. Derek maintained a completely professional relationship with Addison. He never made any attempts to contact her and if it was about a patient he never personally called or paged her. He always had a nurse do it for him. He did not even accept invitations to Sam's house for poker nights or to watch games. He did not want to risk running into Addison and upsetting her. That is not to say that he didn't think about, wonder how she'd doing and if she'd been able to move and find happiness again. Just like she had done in Seattle, Addison hid behind a professional facade. His only time with her was with patients, he would hear her voice utter calm and reassuring statements and information. He would see her smile but he could not tell if that was genuine contentment or a brilliant facade.

"Hey." he spoke up when they stepped out of their patient's room, a 31 year old woman who had been in a severe car accident while 5 and a half months pregnant with her second child. She had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was to undergo surgery the next morning.

"I'll book an OR for 6 am tomorrow. I might be in the OR too but I'll have someone from my staff in there to monitor the baby." Addison quickly responded before he could say anything. She turned her back to him and started to walk away.

"I wasn't going to ask you about that." Derek admitted. "There is something we need to talk about."

Addison frozen, quickly spinning back on her heels."Aside from our patient, Dr. Shepherd, what would we have to talk about?" Addison asked.

"It's about work." he assured. "But I'd prefer if we discussed in a bit more privately than this. Physicians' lounge? There may be people in there but not nearly as many as there are here."

She wanted to say no and get back to her practice to finish her day but she found herself following him to the lounge. She turned down his offer for coffee and impatiently leaned against the counter while he mixed creamer into his mug of coffee. "I don't have all day. I've got a practice to run and patients to see."

"Cedar Sinai is trying to buy out my contract from St. Ambrose." he told her. "I don't know if Charolette will accept the offer but they are offering a lot of money. You know Cedars, they're huge compared to this place. I don't know the exact amount but I've heard there are 8 digits involved."

"That was the professional discussion you wanted to have with me?" Addison asked in disbelief. "What do you want me to say? Congratulations?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" Derek asked in aggravation. "Would you prefer that the deal fell through and I mysteriously disappeared without a goodbye? I'm not you,_ Dr. Montgomery,_ I have the decency to inform my ex-wife before I terminate a multi-million dollar contract and leave."

"If it weren't for the sake of professionalism I'd slap you right now." Addison muttered under her breath.

"Forget professionalism, slap me! Yell at me. Do something. This cold, expressionless persona is more terrifying than anything else."

Addison looked down and took in a deep breath to collect herself. She looked Derek right in the eye and said, "Congratulations on the offer. Cedars is a great hospital, they have a internationally recognized neuro department and you'll be a great addition to their team." Addison told him coolly.

"So you think I should take the job?" he asked before she could walk away.

"What?"

"Charlotte wants to know how I feel, do you think I should go with Cedars or stay here?"

"Are you seriously asking me to help you make this decision?"

"Yes. I moved out here for you and I realize that did not go as well as I expected but I did it for you nonetheless. I know you hate having me working at a hospital your practice is affiliated. That's why I'm asking. Do you want me gone? I mean, I'm still in the same city but LA is huge. I doubt I'd run into you if I'm all the way across town."

"I think you should do whatever works best for you."

* * *

Okay so I said this would be a two-shot but it's practically writing itself and the review response was pretty awesome so now it's become a mini-three chaptered story. The final part will be up sometime next week.

Hope you like Part 2. Review and let me know if you think Derek should stay at St. Ambrose or go to Cedar Sinai :D


	3. Chapter 3

"You let him go?!" Addison yelled, bursting into Charlotte's office unexpectedly.

Charlotte gave Addison a confused look. "What are you talkin' about? You didn't want me to hire him to begin with and now you're upset that he's gone?"

"How could you let Cedar's take him?! They don't need Derek to be one of the best hospitals in the world. We need every renowned surgeon we can get to have our name heard in just the state." Addison argued. "He brought this hospital a lot of recognition and made you a whole hell of a lot of money. How do you let that go?"

"So this is purely a business concern?" Charlotte's asked, obviously not buying the excuse.

"That's a big part of it, yeah..."

"So it's not just that you miss him?"

"Miss him? He's been gone for three days and we've been broken up for months. I can assure you that I have no personal interest in this matter. It is purely professional."

Charlotte laughed in response. "I almost bought that." she said with a chuckle. "Whatever you concern may be, be it personal or professional, I can promise you that I would never let Derek Shepherd slip away. He just needed a few days off to take of some unresolved issues in Seattle. Something about finalizing the escrow on his land."

"He's selling his land?"

"I don't know, Addison. I don't care. I know he will be back on Monday morning and we've already got patients lined up to see him that day."

"He's in Seattle.." Addison murmured on her way out the door.

"Montgomery? What the hell are you thinkin' about doing?"

"I won't be in for rounds for the next few days. Let the people at the practice know to cancel my patients for tomorrow and tell them I'll call them later."

"What exactly are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to Seattle to talk to Derek."

* * *

"I can't do it. She is driving me crazy. She does not want me there. She does not want anything to do with me." Derek complained to Mark over drinks at Joes.

"Does that mean that I couldn't be getting ready to move down there after ny contract is up here?" Mark asked.

"No, you should definitely come down there. Cedars is going out of their way to buy my contract from St. Ambrose. The more St. Ambrose resists the more money Cedars offers. It was a brilliant career move and I think it would be even better for you. We just have to live with the fact that Addison is going to hate us for taking her city."

"I'm not so sure about that." Mark murmured.

"Yeah, you're right. She probably has nothing against you." Derek replied.

"No, Derek. Um... Addison just walked in." Mark told him.

Derek turned on his bar stool to see that Addison had indeed just walked through the door. He was even more surprised to see her walking toward him.

"Did you get lost on the 5 North?" Derek asked teasingly. "Shoulda exited about two states ago."

"I came to talk to you."

"You could have called if something came up with a patient. And there are other neurosurgeons at that hospital, you know?" he pointed out, doing his best to be an inconsiderate smart-ass because that was the only thing he could do to keep himself from getting down on his knees and begging her to reconsider.

"It's not about a patient. I wanted to talk to you about us."

"Us? There is no 'us,' remember? Those are your words." he reminded her.

'Derek..." she sighed, gazing into his eyes pleadingly.

"Okay." he gave in after seeing the vulnerable look on her face. "Mark, would you excuse us please?" he asked.

Mark nodded and excused himself from the couple. "It was great seeing you, Addie. It's been a while." he said with a polite smile before walking away.

"Sit." Derek said, patting down on the chair Mark vacated. "Joe, can you please get the lady a dry martini with no olive."

"Thank you, Derek." she murmured softly.

Derek gave her a small smile. "No problem." he replied, reaching toward her to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Is everything okay? You look a little shaken up."

"You left." she told him quietly.

"I didn't leave. I took a few days off because I had to take care of a few things out here. How did you know where to find me anyway?"

"I went to Charlotte who told me you're in Seattle, then I got here and you weren't at your trailer or the hospital so Joe's was the next logical place to check." she explained.

"You literally went out in search for me?"

Addison shrugged. "I needed to talk to you."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Why? You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do." Addison insisted. "You moved to LA for me. You took a job with the hospital I work with so you could spend more time with me. I'm really grateful that you did that and I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to go to Cedars or come back to Seattle. I want you to stay with me."

"With you?" Derek asked, a brow raised at her words. _"With_ you?"

"I was afraid. I'm still afraid. Things were getting serious and real and it was getting harder for us to fly out to be together. I was afraid that you'd just stop putting in the effort or that you wouldn't be willing to try anymore. Its happened before and I was just afraid. I had to end it before you could. I couldn't let you break my heart again."

"You should have told me about how you felt." Derek told her softly. "We should have talked about it so you could feel a little better. Keeping that kind of fear inside does more bad than good."

"I know." Addison murmured.

"Addie, I know I've hurt you in the past and I'm so sorry about that. I regret everything I did to you in New York and Seattle. I thought we moved passed it. I thought you forgave me and I forgave you, but if you still have that fear inside than maybe we haven't moved on."

"We have moved on. I have forgiven you for New York and Seattle. That doesn't mean the possibility of it happening again scares me any less. I feel like it might be a pattern with us. We fall in love, we get comfortable, we stop putting in the effort and the neglect starts."

"That's not what happen the second time around." Derek told her in his defense then saw her give him a questioning gaze. "Third time around." he corrected himself sheepishly. "I was not comfortable, I hated that I couldn't see you when I wanted. I hated waiting through those two weeks until the next visit. I hated that time apart. I was by no means comfortable with it. I was trying my best to work with Richard to get as much time off as possible and I hate the times when it wouldn't work out and I couldn't see you."

"I didn't know how you felt."

"Because we never talked about how we felt about the distance. I assumed you knew that I hated it but when I brought up moving that one time you practically broke up with me then and there."

"I'm sorry." Addison murmured.

"Don't be sorry, Ad, it is not your fault. We got ourselves in a difficult situation and neither of us really knew how to handle it. That's why I moved."

"And I broke up with you and treated you terribly..."Addison trailed off, meeting his eyes with tears building up in her own as she realized her mistakes.

Derek saw a tear slide down her cheek and he felt like his heart was breaking. She rarely cried and never in public, so seeing her doing just that was alarming. He slid off his bar stool and bridged the small gap between them to wrap his arms around her. She remained seated and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

Derek rubbed her back softly and pulled away to softly kiss her forehead. "It's okay." he told her in a calm, reassuring voice. "You look like you could use a hot shower and a warm bed."

Addison nodded and stood behind him, waiting for him to cover the tab so they could call a cab together. She felt his hand on the small of her back and a familiar fluttering in her stomach finally returned, butterflies. "Where are we going?" she asked as they waited for the cab he had called for.

"I'm in the process of selling the land and the trailer is long gone so I've been staying at the Archfield. It's pretty nice, now I see why you chose it." Derek told her. "I've been staying in a hotel in LA, too. Let's just say it's been a costly few months."

"Can I stay in your room with you?" she asked cautiously. Deep down inside she knew that he wouldn't want her anywhere else but she had to ask.

"Of course."

An hour and a half and one hot shower later, Addison climbed into bed beside Derek with a small smile on her face as she cuddled against him. "I missed you." she whispered to him with her head on his chest.

"I missed you too. It was weird without you but you're back and that's all I could ever ask for." he told her softly. "I've got a few more things I have to do out here tomorrow then we can go home."

"Home?" Addison asked, raising her head off of his chest to turn and look into his eyes with a raised brow.

"Home."

* * *

Derek moved into Addison's house immediately after returning to Los Angeles. He spent a month pestering Charlotte to allow him to alter his contract and he finally got what he wanted. Just like Addison's, his new contract allowed him to work full time at the practice and do all his surgeries there.

He loved being the office right next to her. He loved walking passed her door and glancing in to see a super concentrated expression on her face as she went over a chart, article or textbook.

Derek escorted his patient to the lobby after their appointment. He left the chart with the receptionist and turned back to head to his office. As he walked passed Addison's office he saw her walking toward the door with her purse on her arm. "Where are you going in the middle of a work day? Just because you're the boss you think you can play hookie?"

"I got paged to the hospital. One of my patients is on her way in. She's in preterm labor at 32 weeks. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but I'll be in touch. I might need to push back and cancel appointments today."

"Kay." Derek said with a nod, closing the distance between them to peck her lips. "Any idea when you'll be home?" he asked.

"Worst come to worst 7 or 8. I'm not sure. It really depends on the condition of the baby and how this delivery goes." she answered. "Why? Did we have plans I don't remember for tonight?"

"No, nothing too special. It's just that I was planning on going grocery shopping to make you dinner tonight and I want to know what time you'll be home so it's all hot and perfect when you get home."

Addison smiled at him. "That's sweet. What do you plan on making?"

"I don't know. We'll see." he answered with a shrug. "Just call me and let me know when you'll be home so I will know what I do."

"Okay." Addison agreed, giving him another kiss on the lips before walking away.

Derek waited to make sure she had gotten on the elevator before walking into the kitchen where Sam and Cooper were killing time between patients. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box from his pocket and put it between the two men.

Cooper glanced at Derek then reached for the box and opened it. "Oh, Derek, that's so sweet but I'm afraid I can't. I'm already happily engaged."

Derek pretended to laugh for a second before blankly staring at Cooper with an unamused expression. "It is for Addison."

"And you carry it around in your pocket?"

"I just got it during my lunch break and I don't want to leave in my office. She may find it or one of the others may see it. I don't know. You people are all so nosey. Can't risk Addison finding out."

"When are you proposing?" Sam wondered.

"Tonight, if she makes it home in time I want to do it tonight. What do you think of the ring? Do you think she'll like it?"

"Why wouldn't she like it?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't know. I had it custom made. I didn't want it to look anything like the last engagement ring."

"Her last engagement ring was half a karat solitaire and the clarity was terrible." Sam said knowingly. "She loved it last time because she knew it was the best you could afford but this time she might throw it at you if it was anywhere near that."

"It is a beautiful ring, Derek. She will love it." Cooper told her surely. "Good luck."

* * *

"Dr. Montgomery." a nurse said from the OR door. "Dr. Shepherd is on the phone and would like to talk to you."

Addison glanced up from the baby's open body cavity. "I'm a little busy right now."

"I told him that, doctor. He insisted on speaking to you."

"Okay, put him on speaker, please. I can't scrub out."

"Addie?" Derek spoke over speakerphone. "You were supposed to call me to tell me when you're coming home."

"I haven't had a chance to call you yet." she admitted. "Don't bother with dinner, I'll be late."

"How late?"

"Okay, let me reword that. I'm probably not coming home tonight. I still have a long way to go with this surgery, I'll stay an hour or so afterward to monitor. Then I have to go back to the practice, I left my briefcase with a whole bunch of charts. I really need to get those done tonight. Even if I came up, I would be up all night working on them. Makes more sense to stay at the office and not waste 25 minutes driving home. Plus if I finish early I can sleep on the couch."

"I just feel so bad, it's been a long day and you've got a long night ahead. I was hoping you could have some down time to recover from your day."

"It's fine. I'll be okay. Its not my first time staying up all night, not going to be my last. I just need you to bring me clothes, I really don't want to spend all of tomorrow in scrubs."

"You're trusting me in your closet?" Derek asked in disbelief. She had banned him from her closet years ago while they had still been married. She had asked him for a shirt and came back to find her closet looking like a tornado struck it.

"It's not hard. It's organized by color then alphabetically by designer. You should manage without tearing the place apart." Addison replied. "Now I really have to go, Derek."

"Kay, call me when you get out of surgery before you head to the practice."

"Got it." Addison agreed. "Love you. Bye." Addison glanced up to the resident on the other side of the operating table. She could tell the younger woman was staring at her. "Dr. Meyrs?" she asked.

"You color coordinated and alphabetized your closet?"

* * *

Immediately after getting the text Derek left the house and went straight to a home goods store. He bought out their supply of votive candles in small glass holders, all 267 of them and headed to the to the practice. He recruited Sam and Pete to meet him there to help him set up and light the candles (only after triple checking that all of the pure oxygen tanks were far from the open flames. A combustion was really the last thing they needed that night).

"Do you really want me to hide and take pictures? Because that's weird." Sam murmured, giving Derek a strange look at the suggestion.

"Just do it!" Derek exclaimed. He looked down at his phone when he heard it chime and his heart rate instantly increased. "Hurry up and help me finish lighting the candles. She just text me saying that she just got to her car and she's headed toward here. That gives us five to seven minutes."

"Seven? That's a bit exact, don't you think?" Pete asked as he continued to light a straight row of votive candles.

"I know my wife."

"She's not your wife. She's not even your fiance at the moment." Pete reminded him with a smirk.

"That is true." Sam agreed with a nod. "Right now she is just your ex-wife and current girlfriend."

"Shut up! Help me finish lighting these before she gets here." Derek exclaimed in frustration. He really was grateful to his friends for making a trip to the practice at almost 9:30 pm. He was grateful that they helped he draw out a layout for his candles before helping him set them up and lighting them. It had taken them over 3 hours but they were moments away from seeing the final result and Derek knew he could never repay them for that.

With just a few more candles remaining to be lit, Derek glanced up to see the elevator riding up. He had forced the guys to take the stairs with him so the elevators would be on the ground floor for Addison's arrival. That way she would not know someone else was in the building. He also made them park down the block so she could not see their cars. He really owed them.

"She's in the elevator!" he muttered anxiously, watching as Sam ran to hide in the kitchen. He adjusted the blinds to be able to take pictures and waited, camera in hand. Pete, however, was still struggling to light the last candle. "Pete!"

"Ow!" Pete yelped. "I burned myself." he mumbled, grabbing a few plastic bags from the ground and running to hide under the reception desk after shutting off the lights, leaving the room entirely lit by hundreds of candles. "If this building burns down because of you Derek..." he called from under the desk.

"Shut up! She's one floor away." Derek called back.

Before he knew it the elevator doors were opening. Addison stepped out of the elevator and froze in her spot as she took in the scene.

"Hey." Derek greeted softly.

"I..." she started but nothing else came out. She followed the aisle, outlined in small tea light candles to contrast the votives, to where Derek was standing.

Derek leaned close to her, giving her a tender kiss on the lips before kneeling down in front of her on one knee.

"Oh my god." she finally managed to say in a whisper so quiet that she was sure he didn't even hear her.

"Addison, I love you more than anything. I've been apart from you and I'd rather it never ever happen again. I want to spend everyday with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me? Oh!" he paused to retrieve the ring box from his pocket and pop it open for her. "Got it. Now...Will you marry me?" he asked again.

She stared at him and the ring in his hand in complete silence and utter shock. It took her a few seconds to let it sink in before nodding her head just slightly to accept the proposal. Even after he slipped the ring on her finger and he had taken her into his arms to kiss her passionately, Addison still could not believe how her life had taken all because of one trip to "the place with the big bed and the sheets."

"Addie, are you okay?" Derek asked her softly as they pulled out of the embrace. They remained standing body to body, Derek's hands still on her hips, but he had enough room to see the shock on her face. "Addie?" he prodded again gently after a few seconds, bringing a hand up to caress her cheek lightly with his knuckles. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Addison broke out of her daze when she felt his knuckle lightly brushing her skin. She directed her gaze into Derek's eyes and smile. "I couldn't be better."

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And that was the end. Hope you liked it. Review puh-lease.


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